


Incoherence

by ConsequencesOrBlessings



Category: Outer Wilds (Video Game)
Genre: Communication, Eventual Friendship, Gen, Internal Conflict, Light Angst, One Shot, PC is infatuated with Solanum, Vulnerability, understanding each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24935557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConsequencesOrBlessings/pseuds/ConsequencesOrBlessings
Summary: They met her once before, and they died when they learned everything that was possible to communicate. That wasn't enough for them, so they went back again, and again, and again. The loop traps them and keeps them from staying with her, forever looking at those swirling skies. They make a risky decision, and decide they want to be with her for eternity. They certainly hope they won't regret it in the end.
Relationships: Solanum (Outer Wilds) & Player Character (Outer Wilds)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 48





	Incoherence

It was only once that they met her, learned her story, found out more of the elusive Eye of the Universe and that uncertain moon of it.

Reading through all of those inscriptions that she produced with a simple tap of her staff. Her name was Solanum, and she was 5/6 deceased. Why wouldn't they be fascinated with her?

Of course, every time that the sun died, they hoped that the Quantum Moon wasn't next to any of the immediate planets. As far as they knew, the Eye of the Universe was far enough away to evade such a deadly blast, but the project swiped them away before they could find out.

They knew that there were other mysteries to solve, but that moon called to them, beckoning a name long forgotten to them. It was frustrating to the point of uncontrollable tears, but they swore that they wouldn't waste their time drowning themself in their own helmet over it. Twenty-two minutes is a precious concept to them, one they wish to adhere to for as long as they could emotionally, mentally, and physically endure.

Despite feeling technically refreshed and vibrant with each waking moment, it didn't take long to have a wave of agonizing existentialism scoop them up and toss them to the other side of the universe. Or perhaps it was the ship instead who was responsible. Nah, that ol' thing has carried them farther than their own self confidence.

Well, once they've had enough of the same old, same old, it was back to the phantom moon they went. They didn't want to keep her waiting for too long after all. Even though the concept of waiting was absurd at this point, it relieved them to believe that someone, anyone, could be waiting for them at the end of the line. And they wanted it to be her...

They hopped into their ship after death by sun, and set the course for the Quantum Moon. Doing the whole shrine sequence was barely even something they had to think about anymore, nothing more than just taking a stroll around the neighborhood. Taking a picture of it, they slowed their speed to a steady 7 m/s, and let the gravity pull them in. The ship landed with a BONK, right on the south pole. Making sure they had their suit on, they open the hatch and wander outside. 

They were greeted by the lone corpse of Solanum, a disturbing sight that made them paranoid and anxious every time they walked past it. In fact, it's better not to think about it, and instead think about the living Solanum at the Eye. She, who was ever still and curious, with countless questions to ask despite the language barrier. They couldn't wait to join her once again.

Popping in and out of existence via the shrine, they traveled to the north pole at last, and flash on and off until they arrived at the Sixth Location. They had a pep in their step as they exited the shrine and moved down to the south pole, where she stood under the warping wormhole of a sky. They couldn't contain their happiness when she came into sight, such a spectacular being whom has instilled them with the same curiosity that she maintained all these years.

They attempt to talk to her, she stays silent in confusion, she manifests the communication stones, they carry one over to the stands, the cycle resumes. They stopped with the stones as soon as she wrote, "I hope you don't mind if I think of you as a friend."

If only there were some way to communicate this mutuality between them, to say how much she means to them. It wasn't fair, nobody could truly be at fault for either of their situations.

Their breath became shaky, and started to hiccup with overwhelming emotion. Tears pricked at their eyes, and for the first time since childhood, they let them fall freely on their cheeks. 

Solanum tilted her head, squinting her eyes to see through their golden visor. She quickly noticed their distress and dropped everything to aid them in some way. The poor thing was crying their eyes out, and she couldn't figure out why, nor could she give them any words of encouragement. Well, she could, but they wouldn't understand her one bit.

They yanked away from her comforting grasp and ran over to the other side of the arch, leaning against it. Solanum kept her distance from them, clutching her staff anxiously. She thought for a moment, and started to write on the tablet of her staff, laying the message on the ground for them to see.

[" _I'm uncertain of how to heal you of your hurt, my friend. Standing here is the best of my abilities, but I do not do it to further contribute to your pain. It's hard, hard to accept the reality of the circumstances. But, do know that it cannot last forever, that there is that bright hope waiting to embrace you one day._ "]

The Hearthian looked up from the writing when finished, a slow, solemn nod turned to a nihilistic shaking of their head. Their hands came up to their helmet, and twisted it loose. When the mask came off, Solanum was greeted to a shockingly young and miserable alien with long ears and four large eyes. They appeared to be amphibious in nature, with smooth, scaly skin, and fish-like traits. She feels like she knows this specimen, not the person specifically, but their species.

"Of course," she murmured, "The little creatures of Timber Hearth, I know of you from stories and paintings." The realization struck her, and time that never sunk in finally introduced itself in full form. She could have sworn that she was on Brittle Hollow just a few days ago. But that can mean either two things— one, they evolved next to her clan over thousands of years, two, her clan has been wiped out by some force of nature and this species took their place in the system.

The Hearthian pointed to their helmet and then to her mask, it was obvious of what they wanted her to do. So she complied, the mask came off, and she revealed herself to be a Nomai of similar aging proportions to that of the Hearthian, but her fur was very shaggy and long. It was most convenient of the moon to provide them with boundless air, so that they could each have the privilege of seeing each other.

The two of them sat across from each other, just staring for as long as either could savor. The Hearthian felt it coming, and their heart pounded. They didn't want to be snatched from this precious moment between them and Solanum. The skies faded to the deepest dark and their vision went blurry as their soul was lifted from this place and sent back to their beloved home, staring up at the ever crumbling cannon. 

They blinked a few times, bringing a hand to their cheek to find remnants of water. They burned dark purple and ran over to the lift before Slate could question them. Once at the top, they jumped into their ship, put on their suit, and took off from the planet. Their breathing was heavy and skittery as they angrily faced the Sun and blasted full speed ahead.

"I hate you, I hate you, I wish you would stop dying, I hate you so much." They seethed, not pulling up from their full on course towards the Sun. Passing the Hourglass Twins, they rammed into the boiling and fiery surface of the Sun, and let themself burn. The next moment, they were back at the campfire, peaceful for just a second's bliss.

"Never again." They mumbled as they went up to the ship. "I can't keep doing this to myself, it accomplishes nothing."

The ship flew to the Hourglass Twins and landed on Ash Twin. They got out and wandered amongst the excavated warp towers, old and willful. They entered into a tower that was linked to one across from it, the top window was shattered and there was a small alcove that was just big enough for them to fit in. Assuming that the broken window would only allow the sand to carry them away, they sheltered themself under the lip of the alcove.

The sand came rumbling overhead, and the Hearthian walked into it, being warped immediately to a dizzying chamber at the center of Ash Twin. This was the infamous Ash Twin Project everyone was talking about, and what else did they expect?

Taking the time to read through each of the notes various Nomai had left behind, they rolled the marble in the floor up to the top of the slot, opening up the container that held the advanced warp core. They turned off the artificial gravity and jetpacked up to grab it. As the Ash Twin depowered and darkened into desolate silence, the Hearthian's mind ran clear of any objective to pursue.

The loop was shut off, they were free to leave this hell. Then, a very succinct idea popped into mind. They pushed themself off the platform and onto the warp pad. Bringing them back to Ash Twin's surface, they darted straight for their ship, leaving no time for doubt. With the warp core in hand, they flew off to the Quantum Moon, back to where they felt was safe and secure.

They had only wished there was enough time to gather their friends in the village, but time never worked hand in hand with a pretty little bow on top, so the only choice that was left was the one they hated most. They knew they weren't meant to bring the core here, the Vessel was waiting for them, the universe was waiting for them. It was selfish and impulsive, but they were past the point of caring.

Landing on the moon, they ran over to the shrine, holding their breath until they arrived at the north pole. Switching positions to the Eye, they sprinted forward with no hesitation. Their head pounded and ached from all the pressure and guilt they put on themself, but still, they cared not for it.

There she stood, under the inverted skies, looking longingly to its portal. She looked down to see an unfamiliar traveler with a very familiar object in their hand. Make no mistake, that was a warp core, a Nomaian advanced warp core. Why did they carry it in their appendage, almost gifting it to her in an adoring fashion?

They put down the warp core and took off their helmet, smiling a toothy grin and soft yellow eyes. Solanum made no moves, other than to convey a very appropriate confused tilt of her head.

"I've come to stay here, Solanum. I risked the life of this universe to be with you, and I hate it so much, but I don't regret it. I'm here, and I know you can't understand me, but there has to be a way." Their voice cracked with grief as they poured their heart out. They pick up the warp core and offer it to her.

Solanum takes the core, weighing heavy in her hands of all the responsibility it carries. She looks up at them in shock and writes out a message for them to read.

[" _What did you do?_ "]

The Hearthian smiled and laughed, but not with the intent to be malicious, no. They felt their brain short-circuit as time became unintelligible to all degrees, so all they could do is smile. "It's fine, the world is fine, but I'm afraid its people are not. I'm sorry, it's not our fault."

Solanum brought a hand to her head, her knees weak and shaky. She let out a long sigh and took off her mask, letting her eyes adjust to a new perspective. She looked at them with doubt and bargaining. An expression that can only beg the question, 'Who are you and what have you done to my family?'.

The Hearthian looked around for a quick way to clear things up, and without thinking, they pointed to her staff and made grabby hands. She furrowed her eyebrows at them and held the staff closer to her, protectively. They shrugged aggressively and looked around frantically, suggesting that there was no other option. Solanum gave up on this increasingly uphill battle and handed them the staff.

They jumped for joy as they held it, but it soon turned to disappointment as they realized they had no idea of how to use it. It was a stone tablet hitched onto a metal rod with a hard grip. They had observed her use it many times, seeing how her finger slid over the tiles with recognition, so that's how they had to do it as well.

Problem was, their fingers were much larger than Solanum's, and the recognition went haywire from multiple different sensors being activated. They panicked and transferred the message onto the arch.

[" _Yes, no, maybe, I can not. We should live, but I sure can't read. Help me._ "]

Solanum stifled a laugh as she read it for herself, seeing as the traveler tried their hardest to use her staff. It was rude of her, however, and she settled herself down soon after. She took the staff back and added onto the message.

[" _Your attempts were valiant, friend. Infinitely more admirable than when I first started writing with this._ "]

"I tried." They said precisely.

Solanum tilted her head and attempted to mouth their exact words, repeating it over and over until she added her voice into the mix. "...I tired." 

No, that wasn't what they said at all, and her chords were sore from the ages wearing down on them so that she sounded like an old gear.

The Hearthian took this as a chance to play around and joke, "You're tired? Yeah, me too. I mean, it wasn't that long ago that I woke up, but when have you ever felt fully refreshed from a two hour nap?"

She frowned at them and spoke again, ".....I .... tri-ed."

"Okay, okay, you tri-ed, I see that. But what does this have to do with the number three and education?" They continued to tease.

"This is no time for humor, I want to be able to communicate." She spoke in her native tongue, angrily.

"I don't know what to do anymore! Okay?" They raised their arms in defeat and plopped onto the ground in frustration.

Solanum eyed her furious friend, thinking of a way to compromise somehow. She wrote something and displayed it on the ground for them to read.

[" _There could be a way to attempt to teach you how to use the writing staff, but only if you are interested enough._ "]

An excited and hopeful grin creeped up on their face. They nodded with enthusiasm and scooted over to closer to Solanum, staring at her adoringly.

She brought the tablet closer to them for better viewing and slowly traced lines on the tiles, connecting them like dots, and placed it on the ground to read.

[" _You link the tiles in many patterns to create just even a letter, word, or sentence. Each tile represents a fraction of a character that must be put together like a puzzle, they will all join in union to express your thoughts. The more experienced you become, the less effort needed to bring together your thoughts._ "]

"Well, that explains things a whole lot more." They murmured to themself. Taking the staff, they examined each of the tiles in whole, and pressed a small bit of their finger to it. Unsure of what that produced, they set the rod to the ground and it wrote out a portion of a spiral, reading in a code quite unfamiliar to them. Doing the same motions again on the tablet, they erased the small bit.

Solanum nodded encouragingly. They seemed to catch on quickly, from the looks of it. Perhaps this idea might work after all. For once, she wasn't staring up into the Eye's sky, or surveying the surrounding terrain. She had a friend, a friend of different origins, yes, but they weren't as unfamiliar as they seemed. In fact, she felt a strong attachment to them, not in the same way that she became entangled to the moon, but a friendly and warm bond.

Yes, it was nice to have a friend indeed. It sealed a gap in her heart she never even knew existed, and from there she lived not in solitude, but in peace.


End file.
